Does anyone know the rules and regs of trucking an aircraft thru Canada inbound to Alaska? My helicopter is going up on a trailer, and I'm not sure how to proceed.... Any help would be appreciated! Joe

Get a customs broker. You most likely will have to post a bond, refundable when you exit the country. Customs brokers deal with these issues and provide the bonds, for a fee. Even though aircraft are duty free between our neighbors, when you travel by road, it changes from an aircraft to a commodity. THis is doubly important when you re-enter the US, our ICE agents are really, really bad at doing the customs thing, a broker has the regs and fills out the proper forms, like the SED and SID docs required.

Sounds like lots of work for nothing, My wife just hauled a Maule from AK to Washington State last Sept.
Just have all your paperwork, (Registration that it is yours) And head up the road, should be no more to it than that! Do not know why it would be much more than flying it??
Ours wasn't even in our name, just had a bill of sale and all the log books.
Deb sailed through both borders, She was more worried about the 4 cans of 223 ammo than the plane!!.

Deb is thinking of taking the van back up , could probably talk her into pulling it up!

GT

X2 with George

I have done it twice. Before entering Canada stop at US Customs and obtain a form which states it is your aircraft/parts/etc. As stated earlier have all your US paperwork for the plane with you. The Canadians will not care, however when you re-enter the US it proves it was not purchased in Canada. First time, US Customs wanted to see the document, essentially demanded it. Second time they were not even interested in looking at it. It makes life easy if you have it if needed. Sorry I do not remember the form number.

Just fly it up. I'll follow along with lots of gas for ya.

You need two docs, Standard Export Declaration and Standard Import Declaration. You list what your taking out on the first, and what you are bringing in (the same list) on the other. You get the one stamped on the US side on exit and you give that and your import on the other. The thing the Customs Broker does for you is ensure you have these filled out correctly and the correct rule is cited on the goods (so they remain duty free). Technically you should do a SED each time you exit the country with your aircraft for an extended stay. Sometimes they want one, sometimes they don't. However I have found an ounce of prevention helps a whole lot with customs.

Dumb Canadian customs story:
So I was having the Buffalo painted at a shop just south of Montreal. I drove up with a load of parts, tire and such to load on the airplane to take to Africa with it (I could haul 10,000 lbs on the trip, so I was). Drove up through Vermont to the border crossing, which was a friendly dude on a stool in the middle of the road. "Nope, Nope, can't let you in without a bond on the goods." Well that would take forever, so I left the stuff at the Burlington Airport, went back to Canada, without the stuff. Got the Buff, flew to Burlington, loaded the stuff, flew back to Canada. Nobody cared. Cost a bit of JP4 and time.

Even dumber 185 event with US Customs at Brownsville:

Fly my 185 I had in Honduras back to the US. Land at Brownsville, naturally, met by a gaggle of Customs chimps. They can't get the huge lab dog they had through the door to sniff the plane. So I volunteer to take off the door, they accept, I remove it set it back along the fuselage and stand back (as ordered) for the inspection. The other chimp, knocks over the door and shatters the bubble window…"not my fault he screams" Whatever, duct tape on the window for the rest of the trip.

Well the fun starts at the border station for the Customs docs. I have to go to the "bridge" at Brownsville with my customs broker. We wait in a long sweaty line to get in the trailer with the two irritable agents, complete with guns, to get the docs stamped. Finally, its our turn. The grumpy chimp looks at the two of us and goes,"who the broker." The broker responds, and the chimp shouts at me to get out. So I go outside in the heat. Meantime, the agent looks over the docs and goes, "where is the owner?" The broker responds, "the guy you just threw out." They agent responds,"I didn't throw him out, go get him." Back I come in. "where is this airplane?" I know the answer is the airport, but I don't know what he wants to hear, so I respond quietly, "the airport." He goes on, "why isn't it here?" The broker and I (he was an ex-Air Force Pilot), look at each other, trying not to laugh at the vision of landing on the road and taxing up behind the long line of semi's in line.

Finally after patiently explaining how it is normal to enter at the airport and do the docs at the only customs station that can stamp them and so on. Finally, he lightens up and admits, "I've been doing enforcement for the last 7 years, I really don't know how to do these imports, they just put me here last week without any training." So we got the docs stamped, and I went on my merry, albeit noisy, flight home.

So I find the $100-$150 fee the broker charges well worth it. I routinely do it on the perhaps 50 or so aircraft I have moved across borders. Try not to hit up tiny customs outposts, like Key West. They tend not to put very qualified people at them. Don't get me started on how much fun that group of benobos was when I brought my first Birddog back from Honduras. It was in US registry.

dogpilot wrote:You need two docs, Standard Export Declaration and Standard Import Declaration. You list what your taking out on the first, and what you are bringing in (the same list) on the other. You get the one stamped on the US side on exit and you give that and your import on the other. The thing the Customs Broker does for you is ensure you have these filled out correctly and the correct rule is cited on the goods (so they remain duty free). Technically you should do a SED each time you exit the country with your aircraft for an extended stay. Sometimes they want one, sometimes they don't. However I have found an ounce of prevention helps a whole lot with customs.

Dumb Canadian customs story:
So I was having the Buffalo painted at a shop just south of Montreal. I drove up with a load of parts, tire and such to load on the airplane to take to Africa with it (I could haul 10,000 lbs on the trip, so I was). Drove up through Vermont to the border crossing, which was a friendly dude on a stool in the middle of the road. "Nope, Nope, can't let you in without a bond on the goods." Well that would take forever, so I left the stuff at the Burlington Airport, went back to Canada, without the stuff. Got the Buff, flew to Burlington, loaded the stuff, flew back to Canada. Nobody cared. Cost a bit of JP4 and time.

Not trying to get aircraft through CA.

Even dumber 185 event with US Customs at Brownsville:

Fly my 185 I had in Honduras back to the US. Land at Brownsville, naturally, met by a gaggle of Customs chimps. They can't get the huge lab dog they had through the door to sniff the plane. So I volunteer to take off the door, they accept, I remove it set it back along the fuselage and stand back (as ordered) for the inspection. The other chimp, knocks over the door and shatters the bubble window…"not my fault he screams" Whatever, duct tape on the window for the rest of the trip.

Well the fun starts at the border station for the Customs docs. I have to go to the "bridge" at Brownsville with my customs broker. We wait in a long sweaty line to get in the trailer with the two irritable agents, complete with guns, to get the docs stamped. Finally, its our turn. The grumpy chimp looks at the two of us and goes,"who the broker." The broker responds, and the chimp shouts at me to get out. So I go outside in the heat. Meantime, the agent looks over the docs and goes, "where is the owner?" The broker responds, "the guy you just threw out." They agent responds,"I didn't throw him out, go get him." Back I come in. "where is this airplane?" I know the answer is the airport, but I don't know what he wants to hear, so I respond quietly, "the airport." He goes on, "why isn't it here?" The broker and I (he was an ex-Air Force Pilot), look at each other, trying not to laugh at the vision of landing on the road and taxing up behind the long line of semi's in line.

Finally after patiently explaining how it is normal to enter at the airport and do the docs at the only customs station that can stamp them and so on. Finally, he lightens up and admits, "I've been doing enforcement for the last 7 years, I really don't know how to do these imports, they just put me here last week without any training." So we got the docs stamped, and I went on my merry, albeit noisy, flight home.

Again not USA -USA

So I find the $100-$150 fee the broker charges well worth it. I routinely do it on the perhaps 50 or so aircraft I have moved across borders. Try not to hit up tiny customs outposts, like Key West. They tend not to put very qualified people at them. Don't get me started on how much fun that group of benobos was when I brought my first Birddog back from Honduras. It was in US registry.

The Border in AK is not going to hassle you for bringing a aircraft to AK!!
I don't think the CA guys are going to bother you if you are headed to AK, pretty common occurrence!
You are just going to the USA from the USA thru CA.
Have known lots of aircraft hauled both ways, never been a problem to anyone I have ever talked to.
Why spend the bucks for nothing, if they make you do it, then you have to.
At +$2.00 a liter you will have plenty of expense anyway.
My $.02 and that is very over priced!!

I have to do the same docs when I return a Twin Otter from the USVI to Miami thats been down in a US possession, on a direct flight back. You can go up fat dumb and happy and hope for a good experience or be surprised in the middle of nowhere, cause the chimp at the border has interpreted a new rule from the last training class.

ASK A BROKER IF IT IS NECESSARY, if you have a lot of time on your hands, ask customs themselves, if not rock on.

Or go in blind and have a fun adventure that ends up a a long beer tale on how screwed up customs can be.

dogpilot wrote:I have to do the same docs when I return a Twin Otter from the USVI to Miami thats been down in a US possession, on a direct flight back. You can go up fat dumb and happy and hope for a good experience or be surprised in the middle of nowhere, cause the chimp at the border has interpreted a new rule from the last training class.

ASK A BROKER IF IT IS NECESSARY, if you have a lot of time on your hands, ask customs themselves, if not rock on.

Or go in blind and have a fun adventure that ends up a a long beer tale on how screwed up customs can be.

Hey, I'm not arguing!
Just my thoughts and experience between here and AK!
Here to AK sure seems different from somewhere else to Miami or Texas?
Just my experience going and coming to AK many times, have never had the opportunity to head south!
Did not intend to ruffle any feathers, just trying to help.
Last year when Deb brought the Maule down, I did call both CA border @ Beaver Creek crossing and the US Border @ Laurier crossing she was going to come through, both stated no problem??
She went, it was'nt!

One of our Maules was towed on its own wheels with wings strapped alongside from Fairbanks to Georgia.
Zero border hassles, half dozen used tyre cases and two wheel bearings though.

I'm not arguing either, but filling out a declaration on exit having it stamped and presenting it with a properly filled out import declaration on entrance will save a bunch of hassle, if none is requested, then you filled out two forms for nothing. Its a lot better than dealing with a newly exiled pinhead on the AK border. Do you think they are sending the cream of the crop for that crossing now?

Heck 24 months ago, I could go to Puerto Rico and the USVI on a drivers license, now you need your passport to go to a US possession! You even have to present it when you go from St Croix to Puerto Rico now, a 20 minute flight in a Twin Otter with both sides US possessions.

I have no confidence in the consistency of US Customs Agents. If you think I have a low opinion of them, then your correct. They have proven to be way to random to not be prepared to out form them at a crossing. Canadians are pleasant to deal with and their rules are rather simple and available on web pages.

Joe, Morris Ag Rob here... ( too many Robs on this forum!) I am overnighting in Wasilla at Franks house tonight. Polly creek bound for razors in the am.
Frank trailored his cub down to Yuma this year, and back to valdez. I am on a new phone and don't have your number handy, but if you PM me, I'll call ya back from Franks and you can get the latest-greatest scoop on it.
Take care, Rob

I am intrigued by the idea of something like a kit fox or highlander in a trailer behind my pickup going through the border then pulling that bitch over at the closest wide spot and getting going. Wife drives pickup and trailer while I fly. Back in the trailer, cross the border, back in the air. No EApis.

I am not a felon and am perfectly legal to fly across. I just hate the bullshit and refuse to further enable one more job in a system that is purely an totally wrong.

Come on Joe. Toss it on a trailer and I'll truck it on up there. I ain't scared